Take Me Home
by FearTheKeira
Summary: Reiner is ready to expand their family. Sure, they already have a cat but he wants something more. He wants to adopt. Bertholdt seems completely oblivious to every little hint and prompt that Reiner sends in his direction. So Reiner decides get a little more serious about what he wants.


This was written as a gift for irl-kaneki from tumblr.

The original prompt was "Reiner x Bertholdt, Reiner trying to hint that he wants to adopt a child but Bertholdt just doesn't get it" and I think I may have gone a little wild with it! I wasn't originally going to write about them adopting anyone, but the idea got into my head and stuck so hey! This fic is a bit longer than I had planned. :P

Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about adoptions or how the social services system in any country works! This is entirely a work of fiction and it probably has some gross discrepancies in regards to what would actually happen in a real adoption. I did research it but there's only so much that internet research can tell you. So please enjoy and forgive me for any adoption errors I may have written. :)

* * *

><p>Bertholdt just didn't seem to take a hint. Reiner sighed quietly to himself as he stole a glance up at the taller man. They had been dating for at least five years now and things were great. They lived together in a simple two bedroom apartment in the heart of the city. Bertholdt worked as an architect and Reiner as a personal fitness trainer. Their work hours were similar which meant they got to spend a lot of time together, rather than waiting for the other to get home. They even had a pet cat, a gift from Bertholdt to Reiner on their two year anniversary – also the day they rented this apartment together. The cat was still alive – something Reiner considered a monumental achievement – even with the name he insisted on giving it: Fuzzwad.<p>

Yet despite all this, Reiner was feeling a bit bummed. Things were very serious between him and Bertholdt, there was no doubt about that. So he wanted to do something about it, take the next step, so to speak.

Reiner wanted to adopt a child.

He had no idea how to broach the subject with his quiet partner, so he had been dropping hints left, right and centre. Nothing. Bertholdt had to be the most oblivious man in existence! It was either that, or he had noticed the hints and was trying to deflect them.

Reaching a quaint little cafe, they entered and were quickly greeted by their two friends, Sasha and Connie. The odd pair had been together for as long as anyone could remember, causing diabolical disorder amidst shameless and ridiculously stupid flirting.

"I'll get our drinks," Reiner offered as Bertholdt slid into the booth with Sasha and Connie.

"Thanks," Bertholdt said and flashed him a small grin that made Reiner's heart skip a beat and his jaw drop a little. Shaking himself out of it, he went to the counter and soon returned with two cappuccinos and two slices of marble mud cake. Bertholdt quirked an eyebrow at the cake but accepted without complaint. Reiner smirked; he knew it was the man's favourite.

"So what are you two up to these days?" Reiner asked as he settled into his seat. Sasha squealed excitedly.

"I got a new job two weeks ago!" she announced. "Working in a child care centre!"

"Hey, that's awesome!" Reiner said and shot a sly glance at Bertholdt. Now was his chance to drop another hint and remind his boyfriend that kids were actually pretty awesome. "I'll bet that's pretty fun, playing with cute kids all day."

"Ha! Are you kidding? They're monsters!" Connie sneered and Sasha slapped him lightly on the arm.

"Oh, shush! They're not that bad. They're just exuberant!"

"Exuberant?" Reiner was suddenly doubting if his hopeful plan was going to work or not.

"Yeah. I mean, I've already had paint tipped over my head, my shoelaces tied together, I've had at least three kids vomit on me and five dirty nappies gone wrong – but hey! They're still really sweet! They're just … kids."

"Sounds like a nightmare," Bertholdt said softly and Reiner felt all the blood drain from his face. No! Berthold couldn't think that! He had to want children, just like Reiner did!

"Oh, they can be!" Sasha hastily agreed and Reiner felt all his remaining hopes dash into a million pieces. "Seriously, there are some days I just wanna strangle the little suckers! And I've only been there two weeks, haha!"

"Can you imagine what it would be like to have one all the time? Ugh!" said Connie.

"So I take it you two aren't trying out for one yourselves any time soon?" Reiner asked with a hint of snark to his voice. Connie choked on his drink and Sasha's shriek laugh rose up from the booth.

"No way! We can hardly take care of ourselves!"

"Then why work at a child care centre?" This conversation was not going in any way like Reiner had hoped it might.

"Because I get paid for it, duh! Why else would anyone put up with kids?"

Bertholdt chuckled and Reiner felt his heart plummet to his feet. If Bertholdt really agreed with Sasha and Connie's point of view, what hopes did he have of convincing the man to adopt? Reiner slumped in the booth, suddenly not interested in the conversation nor the food before him.

He felt Bertholdt's eyes as the man shot him a glance, instantly picking up on his down mood. But Bertholdt didn't say anything; Reiner knew he would wait until they were at home in privacy before bringing anything up.

The conversation drifted on without him and Reiner slowly found himself being drawn back into it as time progressed. He ate his piece of cake and finished his cappuccino, even managing to end the day out with an honest smile for Sasha and Connie. The pair waved as they made their farewells and left the cafe, bouncing off to some other adventure.

"You good to go?" Bertholdt asked and Reiner nodded.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

The walk home was slow and lazy. Bertholdt kept shooting him worried glances so Reiner took the tall man's hand and laced their fingers together. This only served to make Bertholdt blush and glance around nervously.

"Reiner! We're in public!" he hissed.

"So? We've done worse things than this in public before!" the blond teased and Bertholdt's blush deepened. But he let Reiner continue to hold his hand, so the blond counted it as a victory.

They passed a playground on the way home and Reiner found his eyes inexplicably drawn to a small family there. He watched with a wistful fondness in his eyes and the two children laughed and played, their parents observing with smiles from the park bench.

Oh, how he wanted that! The thought that Bertholdt might not want it was positively heart breaking! Reiner tried not to dwell on it as they reached their apartment but his thoughts were determined to linger.

"What's wrong?" Bertholdt asked the moment the door closed and Reiner sighed. His boyfriend might seem quiet and nervous to a lot of other people, the kind of person who would never speak out of turn or take the initiative. And sure, it was true to some extent; Bertholdt did naturally defer to Reiner. Yet there were times when the tall brunet knew to step in, to say something and not let it get swept under the rug.

It seeemd that this was one of those times.

"Nothing, I just … I thought they were being pretty harsh about kids," Reiner said and Bertholdt looked at him in surprise.

"Then why didn't you say something? It's not like you to stay quiet."

"I dunno, I guess I just didn't want to argue with them. It's been a while since we last caught up and they're good friends. I don't want to lose that."

"Over an argument about kids?" Bertholdt obviously wasn't buying and Reiner knew that if he gave the man enough time, he would worm the truth out of him eventually. He didn't want that. He wasn't ready for that.

"Well, what about you? What do you think about what they were saying?"

"About kids? Uh …" Sweat dotted Bertholdt's brow and Reiner couldn't help the affection that burst through him at the sight of it. His boyfriend had always had nervous sweats, it was one of the strange quirks he loved about him.

"Kids are a lot of work. So much time and effort and money … and that's your life. Forever. They depend on you for everything. It sounds like far too much work for what it's worth," Bertholdt finally said and Reiner felt his last hopes smash against the floor of their apartment.

"Shit, Reiner, are you okay?"

Oh, that wasn't his hopes. It was him knocking the photo of their one year anniversary to the ground. Great.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he grumbled as he bent down and fished through the broken glass to retrieve the frame and photo. He sighed in relief to discover the photo was undamaged. "It's all good, just a bit of a glass mess."

"Stay there, I'll get the broom."

It wasn't long before the small mess was cleaned up and the awkward conversation seemed to have been forgotten. Reiner made some comment about how cute Bertholdt looked in the photo, which caused the man in question to blush and look just as cute – in Reiner's opinion. So Reiner kissed him fiercely and it wasn't long before they were tumbling into their bed, mouths locked and hands groping as their bodies moved in familiar unison to bring pleasure to each other.

The physical comfort did wonders to relax Reiner and help him push his troubles away for a later date. Laying in the afterglow with Bertholdt cuddled up against him – something Reiner completely adored – he smiled and dropped another kiss on his lover's mouth.

He would talk to him about it eventually, but for now, this was enough.

* * *

><p>Reiner had decided it was time to get serious about adoption. He searched online for ways to hint at wanting to adopt – well, there wasn't much on that but there was on hinting at wanting a baby, so he went with that and adapted it. He was pulling out all the stops now, much to Bertholdt's potential dismay, but more likely confusion.<p>

It started with simple questions.

"What's your favourite name?" Reiner asked as he dressed.

"Ha?" Bertholdt mumbled from the bathroom, his mouth full of toothbrush.

"Your favourite name! Boy or girl, either is fine."

There was a spitting noise before Bertholdt's voice rose again.

"I have no idea. I've never considered it. Why?" The brunet sounded strangely suspicious but Reiner brushed it off. Everything he had found online suggested this was the best way to do it.

"No reason, just something I saw on TV the other day that got me thinking."

Then it progressed to random comments.

"Hey, check out that kid's shoes! They light up as he runs!" Reiner nudged Bertholdt and pointed as they strolled through the mall. Bertholdt stared in amazement.

"What? There were never shoes like that when we were little!"

"I know, I'm feeling kinda jealous! D'you think they'd come in my size?" Reiner asked as the kid disappeared from view.

"Please tell me you're joking." Bertholdt's tone was worried and Reiner laughed before sliding an arm around his lover's waist and ignoring as the man awkwardly protested.

"Hmm, even if they don't make them in my size, maybe we should get a pair anyway. Just for fun."

The internet was a constant source of advice and encouragement for Reiner's desperate antics.

"If you had to be stuck with me trapped in a child's body for the rest of our lives, what age would you want me to be?"

"What the hell, Reiner?"

And finally, his last-ditch attempt.

"Hey! The Morrises are going out tonight and asked if we could look after Ben. It's okay, right? I mean, I already said yes."

"What? Babysitting?"

"He's ten, Bertl. It's hardly babysitting."

Ben was actually five, thus proving Bertholdt's long-standing theory that Reiner was absolutely shit at guessing ages. The evening bordered on an awkward affair as Reiner eagerly played with the young boy, helping him line up his toy cars then race them. Bertholdt just sat on the lounge and watched them, his face creased into a thoughtful frown.

But then Reiner got a call from work, which he simply couldn't ignore or put off to a later time, so Reiner went to a different room to talk, leaving Bertholdt at the mercy of a five year old.

The blond came running out of the bedroom when he heard Bertholdt shrieking, only to find that Ben had tackled him and was sitting on his face whilst driving a car over the poor man's chest. Bertholdt's hands flailed weakly in the air.

"Reiner! Help!" came his muffled voice. Reiner quickly removed Ben, thus causing the boy to cry in protest over the loss of his new-found car racetrack. Bertholdt excused himself for the rest of the night, not even coming out when the Morrises collected their son.

Well, fuck. Reiner had tried everything he could think of and it still wasn't enough. If anything, he seemed to have driven the idea of ever having children further from Bertholdt's mind.

So he moped about the house for two weeks, waving off any attempt to find out what was wrong and always forcing a smile. It was no use. Bertholdt didn't want children and Reiner suddenly wasn't sure what this meant for their relationship.

He had always wanted kids. How could they compromise on this?

Reiner was slouched on the lounge with Fuzzwad sprawled across his lap when Bertholdt quietly sat beside him, not saying anything for some time. Reiner didn't initiate it this time, just watching his cat progress from licking its paws to licking its balls.

Gross.

"You gonna tell me what's been bothering you yet? Or am I going to have to learn how to read minds?" Bertholdt's voice was soft but his tone was firm. There was a warning there, a warning that this had gone on long enough. If it progressed any further, it would develop into a fight that could threaten their relationship. Reiner would never want that.

"I don't know," Reiner grumbled. "What exactly are you referring to?"

"I'm referring to all the weird shit you've been pulling for the last few months!" Bertholdt was more openly irritated now. "Everything you've done or said has been related to children in some way. Is there something you're trying to tell me, Reiner? Because I'm not getting it! Well, there's only one thing I can come up with and that terrifies the hell out of me!"

Reiner slouched further.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," he muttered. "I knew you'd be upset. That's why I don't wanna talk about it."

"But I can't just let you keep going like this! Not knowing is worse than any possibility!" Bertholdt took a deep breath. "Please, just tell me. Did you sleep with someone else?"

"What?!"

Reiner leapt into an upright position, propelling an unsuspecting Fuzzwad across the room amidst yowls and hisses of feline outrage.

"Y-you've been saying all these things about children and I know that neither of us can get pregnant, so the only other thing I could think of was …" Bertholdt closed his eyes, too horrified to say it but knowing he had to. "… Was that you had slept with someone and gotten her pregnant. And now you don't know how to tell me. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Are you fucking insane?" Reiner bellowed and Bertholdt flinched back, sweat breaking out on his face as his eyes darted everywhere but on Reiner.

"It just-"

"I'm not sleeping with anyone else! I have never slept with anyone else! I belong to you, Bertl! Why the hell would you think I would do that?" This was the last thing Reiner had ever expected! How did Bertholdt even misconstrue his hints to mean this?

"Y-you're not?"

"Of course not! No-one's pregnant! I promise!"

Bertholdt looked perplexed now.

"But … but then, why … what were you always going on about?"

"I didn't get anyone pregnant, Bertl, I was trying to tell you that I want to adopt!"

Silence fell over the small apartment as they stared at each other, both working through the startling information they had just received. Bertholdt's eyes widened and his mouth fell open and he just _stared_, unable to look away.

"O-oh," he uttered and Reiner looked down, defeated. That was not the reaction he had ever hoped for. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Just forget about it." Reiner stood up and made his way to the bedroom, avoiding all eye contact. "I'm going to bed."

* * *

><p>Bertholdt was sitting at the dining table when Reiner came home from work a week later. The blond was instantly cautious; Bertholdt worked later than he did on Thursdays. He shouldn't be home for another two hours.<p>

"You're early," he said as he put his things down by the door and crossed the Bertholdt's side. There was a whole spread of documents before him and the tall man sighed, leaning back to meet Reiner's gaze.

"Sit down," he said and the blond reluctantly obeyed.

"Bertl, what's going on?" he asked nervously.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said last week and-"

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was stupid. Just forget I ever said anything, okay?"

"-I think we should do it."

Reiner froze, his brain slowly processing what it had just heard and fighting to catch up.

"Wh-what?"

"Adoption, Reiner. I think we should adopt. It's a good idea."

"But I thought you hated kids!" Reiner blurted out and Bertholdt raised his eyebrows.

"What gave you that impression?"

"Well, I mean … Everything! Every time I tried to drop a hint, you'd ignore it or brush it off like it was unimportant! And when we met up with Sasha and Connie that time, you sounded like you completely agreed that kids were monsters and annoying and hard work – and you said! You said it was far too much work for what it was worth! Of course I thought you didn't want kids!"

"I don't," Bertholdt said and Reiner's face contorted into the largest picture of confusion he had ever encountered.

"Then what the hell are you intending to adopt?" he cried in exasperation.

"A child, Reiner. Just one. I don't want _kids_, but I'm open to one child."

"Wh- … Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." Bertholdt smiled and Reiner suddenly felt light-headed. "That's what all this is and that's why I'm home early. I only worked half the day. The rest was spent meeting with a social worker and discussing our situation. She gave me this information to read over and these documents to fill out. If we go through with this, they'll put our details into their system and notify us when they have a potential match."

"You're serious," Reiner said again. "I thought you didn't want kids. I thought we'd fight. I thought this would ruin us!"

"Aren't I meant to be the stress-head?" Bertholdt asked and Reiner smiled.

"Not all the time." He pressed forward and they shared a brief but loving kiss. Reiner could hardly believe it. Bertholdt actually wanted this!

"So, are we going to do it? Do you want to fill out the paperwork?" Bertholdt asked.

"As long as you do. I couldn't do this without you."

Side-by-side, they shared a secret smile before turning to the documents before them and getting to work. Reiner could hardly contain the excited joy that welled up and threatened to bubble over. Bertholdt wanted this too! It was still too good to be true!

Who knew? Within a month or so, they could be welcoming a new person into their lives.

* * *

><p>Reiner was disappointed to discover that adoptions took longer than a simple month. The agency had taken their details, performed periodic home life checks and informed them they had passed so far and would be informed when a suitable match was located. Reiner sighed and now had something new to mope about. He just wanted their child now! There were thousands of kids out there who needed good homes! Why would it take so long?<p>

Bertholdt was ever-patient with him, constantly reassuring him and overlooking his foul moods.

"It's better this way," the tall man said as he tickled Fuzzwad under the chin. "We wouldn't want to rush it and end up with the wrong kid. Besides, this gives us a chance to get the apartment ready."

Bertholdt was right about that, at least. The second bedroom in their apartment was cleared out and thoroughly cleaned. Furniture was bought and set up, along with some generic toys and books. The room still looked sparse, but there would be time later to fill it with things once they had their child.

"You know, I just realised we haven't told any of our friends that we're doing this," Reiner said to Bertholdt one Saturday afternoon as they finished setting up a chest of drawers in the second bedroom together.

"Hmm. We should tell Sasha and Connie first. If anyone will have good advice, it will be them."

"Seriously? Good advice? From those two?"

Yet Reiner gave no objection to inviting the couple over and so it was that they found themselves seated around the table, laughing and enjoying the pleasant company as he sought the courage to bring up their news.

When he finally spat it out, Connie spluttered and Sasha froze in complete shock.

"You're serious?" Connie gasped with raised eyebrows. Reiner simply nodded. "Woah!"

Reiner was also pleasantly surprised to find that Bertholdt had been right. Sasha and Connie were thoroughly supportive and the advice they gave was solid.

"The most important thing you have to remember is to be consistent," the young woman said seriously. "Adopting a child is a big thing. It's not the same as having one of your own. Adopted children come with baggage and they will push the boundaries. They will test you. So put rules in place. Not ridiculously strict or anything, but reasonable rules. And enforce them. Make the punishments appropriate. And always, always make sure that you talk to each other about it, or the kid could try playing you off each other! So make sure you talk to each other and that you're consistent."

Four months after Reiner and Bertholdt submitted their adoption application, a phone call interrupted one of Reiner's group training sessions at the gym.

"Bertl? What is it?" he asked with mild concern in the back of his mind. Bertholdt normally waited to call him until lunch break. Calling outside of that routine hinted that something was wrong.

"I just got a call from our social worker. She said they've got a match for us! She wants to know when is a good day for us to come in to a meeting." Bertholdt's words were rushed, tripping over themselves in excitement. Reiner gasped as his own excitement rose.

"This afternoon! Can we do that? Does that work? The sooner the better!"

"I'll see what she has available," Bertholdt said with a laugh in his voice. Reiner paused, suddenly emotional.

"Bertl, is this really happening?"

"Yeah, Reiner. We're gonna be parents."

The social worker was more than happy to schedule a meeting for late that afternoon. So it was that Bertholdt and Reiner found themselves sitting in her office, Reiner fidgeting with pent-up excitement as they went through the formalities.

"You should be aware, not many of our adoptions occur so soon after prospective parents join the register. Normally we would have more time to evaluate you as a couple and a prospective home environment before recommending a match. Because of that, we will be proceeding with a six month foster trial, before finalising the adoption. Is that acceptable to the both of you?"

"Why is this so sudden?" Reiner asked. "You said this normally takes longer, so why have you called us rather than someone who's been waiting on your register longer?"

"Because you're the only couple on our register who currently match our psychologist's evaluation." The social worker lifted a file and passed it to them. "This is the girl we're looking to match you with. But be warned, she comes from rough background. A life with a child like this won't be an easy one."

Reiner and Bertholdt exchanged a somewhat nervous glance before opening the file together and proceeding to read.

Annie Leonhardt. Four years old, blonde hair and blue eyes. There was a photo attached to the file, revealing a small girl with a serious expression on her young face. Reiner and Bertholdt read the file in silence, their hearts growing heavier with every word their eyes skimmed over.

_Mother died soon after her birth … Alcoholic father … Abusive relationships … Beaten by father for failing to fight back … Was to be removed by the state before father committed suicide. _

"Shit," Reiner murmured and lifted his eyes to meet Bertholdt's own troubled gaze.

"Like I said, adopting a child from a background such as this is never an easy task. She's young, so she doesn't understand very much of what has happened, if anything at all," said the social worker.

"You said we match the psychologist's evaluation. What exactly is that evaluation?" Bertholdt asked.

"Any child that comes from an abusive background is given a psychological evaluation, to determine their specific needs and how to best fill them."

"But her father abused her," Reiner interrupted. "How is placing her with a gay couple the best solution to her needs?"

"She's terrified of women. We don't know why, the psychologist could only speculate. But she panics if she's with women for too long. Obviously, this condition would need to be monitored as she grew up."

"And with men?" Bertholdt asked.

"She's fine. Well, for the most part. She reacts to bearded men in the same way that she reacts to women. We believe this to be because her father had a beard. But anyone else is fine, in particular young men. A young couple such as yourselves is ideal for her recovery. We can only assume that she trusts young men so much because it was a young male police officer who found her dead father and consequently rescued her."

"Woah."

"It's a lot to take in. Normally, we would take a case like hers slowly, to allow both you and her to adjust accordingly. However, the psychologist has recommended a fast adoption. The sooner she is in a safe, stable environment, the sooner she can start to heal. That's why we've called you in so suddenly. But take your time. This is a big decision and whilst the adoption would not be finalised for the first six months, we would prefer not to remove her from one family to another. So please, make sure that you are willing to go ahead with this before you give me your answer."

The social worker excused herself and left them alone in the office to think about it. Reiner turned to Bertholdt and took his hand.

"What do you think?" he asked softly.

"I think … I want this little girl to be safe. What happened to her is so … How could someone do that, Reiner? It's terrible!"

"So you want to do it? You want to adopt Annie?"

"What do you want?" Bertholdt asked, turning it back on Reiner. He sighed heavily.

"The same as you. It's horrific and yeah, I just want her to be safe. But can we do that? Can we give her that safety?"

"Why don't we ask to meet her? It shouldn't just be up to us. If she doesn't get on with us, there's no point to forcing her into our family."

"So if she's okay with us, we go ahead with this?"

"Yeah? I guess so. But … I'll leave the final decision up to you."

That was Bertholdt. Heavy decisions made him nervous. He trusted Reiner implicitly and was willing to defer to him, even in regards to something as important as this.

The social worker returned and they gave her their answer, asking to meet Annie. After a moment of consideration, the social worker agreed. They were led out to a small room lined with chairs and toys, whereupon the social worker left them. A man arrived shortly after, leading a small blonde girl by the hand.

"Annie," the man said as he drew close. "These are some people that wanted to meet you. Their names are Bertholdt and Reiner. Would you like to say hello?"

The man gave Annie a gentle push forward and she stood there nervously, one hand hidden behind her back as she sucked on the thumb of the other. Reiner knelt down to her level, utterly entranced by the small child.

"Hi, Annie. I'm Reiner," he said. "Bertholdt and I are very excited to meet you."

She stared at him with suspicious blue eyes. Suddenly, her thumb drew out of her mouth, her hand clenched into a fist and she punched Reiner straight in the face. He fell backwards, more stunned and surprised than anything else.

"Annie!" cried the man who had brought her in. "You can't do that! I've told you!"

The small girl shrank away from all of them, eyes wide in fear and Reiner felt his heart break as he sat up and rubbed his jaw. She was watching him, tense, as though waiting for the abuse to come. But Reiner smiled and let out a laugh.

"Wow, Annie! That was amazing!" he said eagerly. "You're so strong! That was a very good punch! Well done!"

"Don't encourage her," hissed the man but Annie was stepping forward, the fear leaving her eyes as she approached Reiner, slowly reaching out to touch his jaw where she had hit him.

Bertholdt squatted down to join them, a gentle smile on his kind face. Annie blinked at him and Reiner suddenly wondered if she would punch Bertholdt as well.

"We heard you need somewhere to live," Bertholdt said softly. "And we were looking for a little boy or girl to join our family. Would you like to come live with us?"

Annie's blue eyes widened even further and she stared as she stood completely stock-still. The man shifted in the background, seemingly about to call her away. But Annie lunged forward, arms outstretched as she jumped on Bertholdt. A wail rose up from her as her tiny arms locked around his neck. Bertholdt brought a surprised hand up to support her, tenderly returning the hug as Annie sobbed and sobbed against him.

Reiner smiled with tears in his eyes as he wrapped an arm around his lover, his other hand gently brushing over Annie's hair. They shared a glance and that was all Reiner needed to see. They both knew. She was the right one for them. Or rather, they were the right ones for her. There would be no going back.

Time was a blur from then on as Annie was slowly pried off them and taken away so they could finalise the paperwork. Their social worker was swift and efficient, taking the freshly signed documents and smiling at the two men.

"Congratulations. You can take her home now."

Annie came out a moment later, running straight to Reiner and Bertholdt with fresh tears in her eyes. Bertholdt reached her first, sweeping her up into a hug that completely enveloped her. A small bag of her scant belongings was handed over, along with their copies of the paperwork, and they were free to go.

The trip back to their apartment was over quickly and before they knew it, Reiner and Bertholdt were showing Annie into her new home. She had only recently stopped crying but was still perched in Bertholdt's arms, surveying the apartment with nervous eyes.

"This is your room," Reiner said as all three of them entered. Annie's eyes grew wider as she gazed around. "Our room is just next door, so you can always come find us if you ever need anything."

They prepared a simple dinner and sat in the lounge room to eat, the TV switched on to the cartoon channel. Annie ate a little, mostly picking at her food and glancing between the TV and Reiner and Bertholdt. The two new dads exchanged a glance, unsure whether to say something to her or just leave her be for now.

The evening wore on and as eight o'clock rolled around, Annie was yawning and rubbing her eyes. Reiner and Bertholdt went through the motions of getting her ready for bed, letting her change into her pyjamas and ensuring she cleaned her teeth. They both tucked her in together, leaving a night light on and once again reminding her that they weren't far away if she needed them.

Leaving her bedroom door open a crack, Reiner and Bertholdt retreated to the living room and just stared at each other.

"We have a daughter," Reiner said slowly. A laugh escaped Bertholdt's mouth and he slapped a hand over it to quieten himself. "A daughter!"

Their makeout session was passionate and intense but did not progress any further. They lingered awake for several more hours, both messaging their bosses to say they wouldn't be able to come in tomorrow. Then they sat down and began to write up a list of all the things they would need to buy the next day.

When they were finally done, Reiner made sure Fuzzwad had enough food and water before following Bertholdt to the bedroom. The apartment felt different somehow, almost strange, to know another person was living there now.

Sleep came quickly to Bertholdt but not so quickly to Reiner. He felt as though he had only just drifted off when a light tugging on his sleeve pulled him back awake.

Reiner peered through the darkness, dimly making out a small figure beside the bed. His mind woke up a bit more and he was able to make sense of the situation.

"Annie?" he said softly. "What is it?"

The little girl twisted her fingers, nervous as tears hinted in her eyes.

"… Scared."

It was the first word she had spoken since they met her. Reiner's heart panged and he propped himself up on one elbow, reaching down with his other hand.

"Come on up," he said. Annie cautiously took his hand Reiner easily pulled her up onto the bed. He rolled over, laying her down in the gap between himself and Bertholdt. Reiner drew the covers over them both and smoothed errant strands of blonde hair from her troubled face.

"It's alright," he whispered. "You're safe here."

Slowly relaxing, the young girl gradually drifted off as Reiner stroked her hair. When her eyes were closed and her breathing was regular, Reiner smiled and closed his own eyes to sleep. The road ahead would not be an easy one by any means. But they would endure it and overcome it, as a family.

* * *

><p>AN: So there is a second chapter for this over on my AO3 account and it is NSFW! So if you're legal and interested in that, head on over to my AO3 account, under the same username, and look for this fic! I'd post a link to it but I can't post html in this document. However, there is a link to my AO3 account on my profile! So please, go forth and enjoy! :)


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